Letter by R.Spano/D,Runnicles2AtlantaSymBoard/ManagementMusc

[tbn.al]

Just keep on getting your information from someone who was never a musician, never played in professional ensembles, but instead made their living working in the radio industry playing the recordings of musicians he (apparently) thinks are overpaid.

+1

[tbn.al]

The Atlanta Journal Constitution just published an update which does not sound encouraging.

http://artsculture.blog.ajc.com/2014/09 ... hony-deal/" target="_blank

[doublebuzzing]

Just keep on getting your information from someone who was never a musician, never played in professional ensembles, but instead made their living working in the radio industry playing the recordings of musicians he (apparently) thinks are overpaid.

I guess it's easier to say "He's not a musician, he doesn't understand" than to point out what he gets wrong. You don't have to be a musician to understand supply and demand. If they got paid based on attendance, they would earn far less than half of what they earn now. Unfortunately, classical music isn't much popular in this country and there is a huge surplus of supply (orchestra musicians) over demand (people willing to pay and hear them play). Standards do not fall because a person isn't getting $100,000 a year to do what they love to do.

Maybe it's better to get information on the difficulties orchestras are in from people who are NOT musicians as they would less likely have primie facie bias/slant in favor of musicians and see the broader implications of the way things are going if there is no change.

[ppalan]

"The staffs must be cut...and musicians are going to have to accept serious pay cuts. As we have often said, many orchestras will simply fold if musicians won't accept serious pay cuts. It's going to become not a matter of 'How much pay do you insist on?' but 'Do you want a job or don't you?'" (Jan/Feb 2013)

I will admit that I am not any kind of expert in this area but I thought that the main jobs of Orchestra Board members were giving money and raising money. Just because some one is a successful business person in one field does not necessarily give him/her the requisite insight to advise on the running of another business. This just sounds to me like SOP in the "business world" today. When there's a financial problem it must be the greedy workers causing the problems so let's cut their wages or benefits or even better their jobs. (Why does the stock market rise in response to layoffs?) The "unacceptable" alternative of course is that "we (board members) must increase our giving and our efforts to get others to do the same. I know that most Board positions are usually unpaid. That, of course, is why Joe the Plumber or Gus the Janitor aren't invited to the club...they can't bring anything to the table. So the positions are "prestigious" and only for the well-heeled. These people, in many cases, are the very same as those referenced in this article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill ... e-earners/ and so they bring with them the same type of "preserve (or better yet, increase) mine at your expense" type of thinking.

Pete

[tbn.al]

ASO season suspended at best. Here are a couple of articles if you like.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/ ... blogs&_r=0" target="_blank

http://www.peachpundit.com/2014/09/07/a ... -deadline/" target="_blank

[Dan Castillo]

Why is it always assumed that if the musicians take a salary cut the standards of the orchestra will plummet? Even if some musicians leave because of it, don't they realize how many unemployed or underemployed musicians that are no appreciably worse would willingly take their jobs?

I get it. The world of symphony orchestras is finally catching up to rest of our economy. Bust those unions. You don't neeeeed to pay that much, so why should you? Were you clapping your hands when US manufacturing went overseas over the past few decades because people in Asia said they would do it for ten cents an hour? I don't know. I think this country was a lot better off when there were more "overpaid" and "overcompensated" workers walking around and fewer billionaires (check it out: 268 new ones so far in 2014). I know people worship the market, but just because the invisible hand dictates something must happen doesn't mean it should happen.